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Art and the Civil Rights Movement

  • Understanding the context of art in the 1950s and 1960s in relation to significant social events.

Timeline of Events in the Civil Rights Movement

  • 1955: Emmett Till, a 14-year-old, is murdered in Mississippi for allegedly violating racial norms. His mother's choice of an open casket for the funeral exposes the atrocities of racism.

  • 1963:

    • Martin Luther King Jr. is jailed during anti-segregation protests, advocating nonviolent resistance.

    • President John F. Kennedy is assassinated, partly speculated due to his civil rights stance.

  • 1963 (Birmingham): The police use fire hoses and dogs against peaceful protesters, shocking audiences across America due to national television coverage.

  • 1964: Medgar Evers, a civil rights activist, is killed in Mississippi; his murderers are acquitted twice, leading to public outcry.

  • 1963 (Church Bombing): Four young girls killed in a Birmingham church bombing, leading to riots and further violence.

  • 1965: Malcolm X is assassinated. His violent resistance perspective contrasts with King's nonviolence.

  • 1965 (Selma): Police brutally suppress a march for voting rights in Selma, further intensifying media coverage about civil rights issues.

  • 1966: The Black Panther Party is founded to empower African Americans and advocate for armed self-defense.

  • 1968: Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated, igniting widespread riots across America.

Legislative Progress and Important Civil Rights Actions

  • 1948: President Truman signs legislation for equality in the armed forces.

  • 1954: Brown v. Board of Education leads to school desegregation, although implementation is slow.

  • 1956: Rosa Parks initiates a bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, challenging segregation.

  • 1957: National Guard enforces desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas.

  • 1960: Sit-ins by college students across the South lead to desegregation of lunch counters.

  • 1964: The Civil Rights Act is passed, but loopholes remain affecting voting rights.

  • 1965: Voting Rights Act abolishes discriminatory practices preventing African Americans from voting.

  • 1967: Supreme Court strikes down laws prohibiting interracial marriage.

  • 1971: Supreme Court upholds busing as a desegregation method.

Impact of Civil Rights on Art

  • Art during this time reflects societal struggles and is often a personal response to violence and injustice.

  • Understanding the artist's motivations requires knowledge of historical context.

Significant Artwork and Artists

  • Archibald Motley’s Unfinished Painting:

    • Represents a contemplation of progress and a commentary on historical martyrs (JFK, MLK, Lincoln).

    • Symbolizes ongoing struggles and the artist's reflections on civil rights events from 1963 to 1972.

  • Elizabeth Catlett: A prominent artist whose works reflect civil rights engagements.

    • Sharecropper (print): Represents African American experiences.

    • Black Unity (sculpture): Abstract representations of solidarity and empowerment.

    • Homage to My Young Black Sisters: Reflects the empowerment and pride during Black Power movements.

  • Charles White: Focused on social themes through both abstract and realist styles.

    • Emphasizes the struggles and triumphs through historical depictions in his works.

  • Jacob Lawrence: Known for his figurative abstraction reflecting social justice themes.

    • The Ordeal of Alice (1963): A poignant representation of the trials faced during school integration.

    • Creates a narrative through abstraction, evoking deeper meanings beyond the visual.

Collective Responses and Activism in Art

  • Art becomes a tool for documenting and protesting against injustice.

  • Works of various artists reflect shared experiences, struggles for rights, and collective memory of African Americans.

  • The use of metaphors and historical references enriches the dialogue between art and social justice.